Her Redemption
by jackandsamforever
Summary: This is a multi-chapter fic for a hypothetical season two. Liz leads the task force to find Reddington, who's on the run again after his perceived betrayal of Liz and the FBI. Eventual Lizzington. Dedicated to ltlearthquake for the great idea.


**AN: **So ltlearthquake came up with this great fic idea and I volunteered to write it. I hope I can do it justice. This is going to be a hypothetical season 2 multi-chapter fic. This chapter is season one's finale.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything related to the Blacklist.

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"Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit." Liz mumbled as she quietly ran between pallets of merchandise that were plastic-wrapped and ready to be sent to their destination in the dimly lit warehouse. She had shown up because Red had asked her to, but as she'd silently made her way inside, she had come upon Tom and Red pointing guns at each other; apparently at an impasse, because neither of them were saying anything. She hoped they hadn't seen her as she crouched behind a pallet that was as far away as possible from the men, but where she could still hear what was being said, if they ever decided to say anything.

She watched the emotions play over Tom's face. He was smiling, but she couldn't fathom the reason for it. Red had his usual emotionless mask over his face, but there was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite make out. Was it fear? She highly doubted it, but then she wondered where Dembe was; something must have happened to him. Her heart clenched at the thought. She really liked the quiet, but strong man; he had a gentle soul.

She was startled out of her thoughts by Tom speaking to Red. "So what's it going to be Reddington? Are you going to tell her, or would you like me to?"

Liz could see Red's jaw clench and his fingers tighten on the gun, but his voice was calm as he said, "And you're going to just call her up and tell her are you?" He chuckled humorlessly, "Thomas, there are far greater things at play besides Elizabeth. She's only a small part in the big picture."

What was Red talking about? What was this big picture? She was more confused than ever. Weeks ago she had found out about the role Red had played in the death of Sam after seeing the photos Tom had left in the safety deposit box. She'd hated him with ever fiber of her being and was hurt beyond measure; but that hurt was beginning to lessen. He'd told her when she'd come to him and confronted him about it that he'd done it because Sam had asked him to. That he didn't want to suffer any more than necessary. She hadn't believed him at the time because he had robbed her of the chance to say goodbye to Sam; and that's what stung the most. Sam had been her whole world, and she felt betrayed by Red; just as she was beginning to trust him.

She watched as the men stepped side to side, circling each other like two male lions fighting for dominance. Tom smiled. "Oh, but you haven't told her her "small" role in that "big picture" have you? I imagine when she finds out, she'll be surprised. I underestimated her willingness for forgiveness, especially considering what you did, but I don't think she'll be able to forgive you at all when she finds out her other role in your life."

Red snorted quietly and shook his head slightly. "She hasn't forgiven me, we're barely on speaking terms. The only reason she's had contact with me the last few weeks is because Harold ordered her to. So no, you haven't underestimated her. She's not going to find out the rest, because I'm not going to allow you to tell her; it's dangerous for her to know."

It was true that she hadn't completely forgiven Red, but the ice around her heart was beginning to melt a little towards him; especially since he'd been nothing but helpful and caring in the weeks since. This new revelation set her teeth on edge though. She knew that Red had entered her life for another reason than what he was presenting to the FBI, but she wasn't sure she wanted to find out the real reason; she couldn't handle any more lies and deceit in her life at the moment.

"Are you going to shoot me Reddington? Just to keep the truth from Liz? Why do you insist on working with her when you know how things are going to end eventually? She's not related to you, that much I know. What...do you love her?" He said the last sentence mockingly, but tilted his head in surprise when a little flicker of something passed over Red's face. "Seriously? That can't be the reason. The Raymond Reddington I've heard about would never allow "feelings" to decide his course of action." He was openly mocking him now, but Red stayed silent and didn't defend himself.

Liz laid her head back against the pallet and closed her eyes in shock. There wasn't any way that Red had those kinds of feelings for her. Was there? She didn't know why he entered her life, or what he knew about her past, but she knew she wasn't related to him. That much was confirmed when she asked him after the Anslo Garrick fiasco. Over the months of working with him, she had felt a pull towards him that she hadn't understood. She'd found herself secretly exhilarated when she saw that he was calling, or if he showed up at the Post Office and told them he had a case for them. She found that she didn't mind sharing a glass of wine after a particularly difficult case, and just sitting on the couch with him and talking about nothing in particular. He'd always been a little reserved around her, but the last couple of months he had begun to touch her more. Mostly innocent: his arm threaded through hers as they walked, a hand on the small of her back to gently guide her, a pat on the shoulder. Only once had she allowed herself to wonder what it would be like to be in a relationship with him; and that was when he'd held her after she'd found out about Tom and the lying bastard that he was. As she'd laid on his chest, he'd moved his hand over her back and through her hair in comfort. He'd kissed her hair, then allowed himself to kiss the shell of her ear softly before whispering more comforting words in her ear. She'd been too distraught at the time to analyze his motivations, but later, later she'd realized that she'd felt more at home and safe in his arms than she'd ever had in Tom's. That realization had scared her to death; and she'd quickly stored it away at the back of her mind, hoping to forget that she had ever thought it. But it nagged at her, and she found herself craving his touch, even if it was just a hand on her arm. Of course, this was all before she'd found out about Sam, and after, she'd put more distance between them than ever. When they met, she sat as far away as possible. She didn't allow him to get close to her, because she was afraid that if she did, then she wouldn't be able to continue to hate him.

The two men were speaking again, but she'd only caught the last part of Red's sentence. "..and it seems we're not going to solve anything. So who's going to shoot first?" The smugness was back in his voice, and she cursed herself for missing his answer to Tom about what his feelings were for her; although she was sure he hadn't given anything away. She wiped away a stray tear and focused on their words instead of her thoughts.

Tom smirked, "We can do it like they used to do it in the wild west. We both take ten steps then see who's the quicker draw. What do you say?" She cringed at the sarcasm in Tom's voice; Red hated when people openly mocked him, and she wondered if Red would just shoot him. He'd certainly done it before to others.

Red opened his mouth to say something, when Liz felt a sneeze building up inside. Shit. There must be something in here that she was allergic to. She tried to hold it in, but when that tactic failed she put her face in her jacket and sneezed as quietly as she could, but she knew they both heard it. "Ah Liz, welcome to the party. We've had an enlightening conversation, but I'm sure you already know that. Don't you? Tom's voice was angry, and she suddenly hated him more than she hated Red; and that was saying something.

She stuck her gun in the waistband of her pants at the small of her back and stepped out with her arms raised. "Are you going to shoot me, Tom?"

Tom rolled his eyes. "I already told you, I'm not here to hurt you." He gestured with his gun towards Red. "It should be him that you're worried about. I already tried to warn you, but you didn't listen."

Liz walked toward them with her arms up in surrender and said, "Why would I believe you Tom? I can't trust either of you, obviously, but I'm more inclined to trust Red because he told me from day one that everything about him was a lie. You lied to me from day one. Our marriage, everything was a sham." Liz sighed in defeat. "We've already been over this, nothing I say is going to make a difference to either of you."

She stopped ten feet from them and lowered her arms, then looked at Red. "What role do I play in your future plans?"

He said nothing, but looked at her with compassion and maybe a little pity. She snorted. "What? You feel sorry for me? I don't need your pity, Reddington."

"Lizzie, I don't-"

He was cut off by the sound of a door bursting open, then Donald Ressler and Meera Malik running in and pointing their guns at the men. Neither Red nor Tom moved, and continued to point their guns at one another. Liz sighed at the added complication. Ressler glanced at Liz and said quietly, "You ok Keen?"

Liz nodded, "I'm fine. What the hell are you dong here? Better yet, how did you find me?"

"It doesn't matter, Liz. We're here now, and we're going to get out of this situation before anyone gets hurt."

Tom snorted, "I won't allow you to take me in. My employer won't allow it either."

Ressler looked around the warehouse, then said, "I don't see anyone here but the FBI, and an FBI informant. How exactly-"

What happened next Liz wouldn't ever be exactly sure of, but it seemed as if everything moved in slow motion. All the doors burst open at once and men poured through all the doors of the warehouse with their guns raised. They weren't FBI, and they weren't Red's men. They began yelling as Ressler and Malik ducked behind a pallet. The first shot was taken by one of Tom's men, and after that it was complete chaos. Liz dove to the floor and watched as Red moved away and out of her eyesight. She tried not to curse him for saving himself. Ressler and Meera returned fire, taking out five or six of the men, but there were too many and they were outgunned. She watched as they began to lead Tom out of the warehouse. Liz grabbed her gun out of her pants and pointed it at Tom. "Tom, No! I can't allow you to leave."

Tom stopped and turned around with a small smile on his face. "I don't see that you have a choice, Liz."

She moved her gun to feign like she was going to shoot his escorts, and saw them pull their triggers in slow motion in reaction. She closed her eyes and braced herself for impact as she heard Tom scream from a distance. When she didn't feel the gunshots, she opened her eyes and saw Donald Ressler lying in front of her with multiple gunshots in his chest. She screamed in agony and watched as the rest of the men left quickly; she was powerless to do anything to stop them because she needed to save Ressler's life.

He was blinking slowly as blood pooled underneath him. She slipped off her coat and tried to stem the flow of blood from at least five gunshots; she didn't understand why he hadn't worn a vest, but that hardly mattered now. "Ressler, stay with me. You're going to make it. Come on."

She could hear Meera on her phone calling for an ambulance, but everything sounded hollow and distant in her ears. All she could focus on was the drop of blood running down the corner of his mouth; he was as good as dead. There wasn't any way the ambulance would get there in time. He coughed and sprayed a small amount of blood on her face. She pressed down a little more and said in a quiet voice, "Just hold on Ress..they'll be here soon."

Ressler tried to laugh, but it came out as a cough as he rasped, "You and I both know that I'm not going to make it. It's ok, I'll be with Audrey. That's all I ever wanted anyway."

Liz choked back a sob as tears streaked down her face. He was right, but she didn't want to believe it. "You idiot, what do you have to go and save my life for? You didn't need to do that."

His eyes closed, then opened slowly as he said quietly, "I know that, but I was doing my job. I don't regret it. I'm glad you're ok, Liz." He gave her a faint smile, then closed his eyes and took one last halting breath before he chest stilled.

She sat back and let the tears flow freely now. She hadn't liked him at first. He'd been a first-class asshole to her, but she'd gotten to know him over the ensuing months and she considered him a good friend now; she couldn't believe how quickly everything had gone south.

Now Tom was gone; who knew where. Red had scampered out of there at the first opportunity and now he was gone, probably on the run. Anger rose up in her like a tidal wave. She couldn't believe that he'd just left her there; he must have believed that she wouldn't be harmed, or he didn't care. She wasn't sure which one it was at the moment. She _was_ sure he hadn't predicted her only being alive because Ressler had sacrificed himself.

She vowed to find Red and put him away behind bars for good; the son of a bitch. He was hiding things from her, things that she needed to know. She was determined to find him and find out what those things were; that was going to be her redemption for Ressler sacrificing himself for her.

Meera knelt next to her and put a hand on Liz's shoulder. She didn't say anything, but Liz knew that Meera was just as affected as Liz, probably more so. She worked with Ressler more closely than Liz had.

Liz wrapped her arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a hug. Neither said a word, and only pulled away when they heard sirens. Meera got to her feet and pulled Liz with her, then handed her a Kleenex from her pocket so Liz could wipe her face off. They stood there and watched as Cooper walked determinedly through the door with a pinched look on his face. When he saw Ressler's body, his steps faltered a bit, but then resumed normally as he approached them. "Agent Malik, Agent Keen..are you alright?"

Liz schooled her features and nodded. "As well as can be expected, Sir."

"What the hell happened here?" He was looking at Ressler's body with narrowed brows.

Meera stepped forward and shook her head. "Sir, can we do this later?"

Cooper nodded and turned around to direct the coroner and his agents that accompanied him. Meera turned to Liz and put her hand on her upper arm. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Liz went willingly, but all she could think about was hunting down Red and making him talk; then ultimately finding Tom and learning what he knew. Ressler's death wasn't going to be for nothing.

As they walked out, all she could see was red.

**AN: ** Liz is going to become the task force leader and lead the hunt for Reddington in the coming chapters. This fic is going to be a slow burn for Lizzington, but rest assured it will be eventually. I would love to know what you think and if you'd like to see more. Thanks for reading! :)


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